Hengeyokai
"Ever wondered why elf gods hate lycanthropes so much?" -Wu Jen Origins Homeland: Feywild Folk Wily beasts with the ability to assume human form. Hengeyokai are agile creatures, but their other physical attributes vary according to their subrace. Twelve subraces are known to exist: badger, carp, cat, crab, crane, dog, fox, hare, monkey, raccoon dog, rat, and sparrow. Legends abound of other subraces, such as frog, lizard, and weasel, in addition to larger beings such as tigers, dolphins, and pandas; however, no human has ever confirmed their existence. The race is exceptionally long-lived, with an unusual life cycle. Hengeyokai can live for over 200 years, but for the first century they exist only as animals and cannot assume another form. Except for their extended life span and above-average intelligence, immature hengeyokai differ little from mundane animals. Once they reach 100 years of age, they can assume hybrid and human forms. At this point, they are the equivalent of human adolescents, but any memories of their previous existence are hazy and indistinct. All hengeyokai can assume three distinct forms. In animal form, hengeyokai are nearly indistinguishable from normal animals; only careful observation of their behavior can uncover their intelligence. They are exceptionally mobile in this form and often assume it for the purpose of exploration or reconnaissance. Hengeyokai cannot speak in animal form, but they can communicate with beasts similar to themselves. In hybrid form, hengeyokai stand at their human height on their hind legs or similar appendages. They assume an overall humanoid shape, with front paws, wings, or fins changing into hands that are capable of gripping and using weapons and other equipment, but retain their animalistic appearance, including fur, scales, feathers, tails, and other characteristics. They can speak any languages they know and are still able to communicate with animals. Hengeyokai prefer to assume this form among their own kind or trusted companions of other races. Each hengeyokai can assume the form of a unique human. While individuals’ appearance varies according to the region in which they were born, on average they are shorter and slighter than their human neighbors. Even in human form, hengeyokai always display some animalistic features. For example, a sparrow hengeyokai might have a sharp, beaklike nose; a crab hengeyokai, larger-than normal hands; and a rat hengeyokai, beady eyes or a long, thin mustache. Hengeyokai in human form can speak any language they know but can no longer directly communicate with animals, though they can still understand them. Hengeyokai are a reclusive race. They rarely befriend other creatures (except for spirit folk) and are wary of strangers. However, if treated kindly, hengeyokai can become steadfast and lifelong friends. Hengeyokai are wild and unpredictable, with a strong independent streak. They value their freedom above all else, and many also champion the freedom of others. They abhor slavery and shudder at the thought of chaining or caging an animal; restraining a hengeyokai in this manner is a grave insult. They also display personality traits similar to their animal forms. A badger hengeyokai might be aggressive and dour, a monkey hengeyokai playful and inquisitive, and a hare hengeyokai quiet but always alert for signs of danger. Like most races, the majority of hengeyokai do not have a strong disposition toward good or evil, though some subraces have an affinity for certain alignments. Carp, crane, dog, hare, and sparrow hengeyokai tend toward good (however, few hengeyokai possess the discipline necessary to be lawful good), while badger, fox, raccoon dog, and rat hengeyokai tend toward evil or chaotic evil. Many humans treat the subraces according to these stereotypes; for example, they might be suspicious of fox hengeyokai and avoid them. All hengeyokai are mischievous by nature and value playing tricks on others without being caught or noticed, even if doing so doesn’t endear them to their neighbors. They do this for a variety of reasons, often for amusement, but mainly to test the reactions of their neighbors and to prepare for dangerous situations. Most pranks are good-natured fun (snatching food, misplacing household objects, and setting animals loose are popular), but those of evil hengeyokai are frequently malicious and destructive - sometimes deadly. As hengeyokai come of age, they are overcome by wanderlust and an instinctual need to seek out new territory (older hengeyokai jokingly refer to this period as “the true Path of Enlightenment”). Most are content to investigate the wilderness near their homes or get into juvenile misadventures in the nearest human settlement, but for some, such high jinks are not enough. These hengeyokai become adventurers. Greed rarely motivates hengeyokai adventurers. They have little use for treasure, believing that it weighs them down, so they carry only what they need. Instead, curiosity and the thrill of exploration drives them, as does the opportunity to make mischief on a wider scale or to redress social injustices. In their minds, such activities often go hand in hand; hengeyokai in Wa notoriously flout social convention by associating with the downtrodden eta, and those in T’u Lung court official displeasure for freeing slaves. Indeed, many hengeyokai adventurers begin their careers when they are forced to take up arms in defense of an adopted human village or family threatened by monsters, bandits, or evil spirits. All hengeyokai have a knack for stealth, magic, and subterfuge; they are also incredibly mobile creatures and gravitate toward careers that emphasize these attributes. History The ancestors of the hengeyokai were inhabitants of the Feywild but fled to the world in the aftermath of an extraordinarily destructive war between the fey and the fomorians. During that long-ago conflict, evil hengeyokai served the fomorians as spies and assassins. After the fey emerged victorious, they took their revenge upon the survivors. This retribution was swift, brutal, and indiscriminate, and many innocents were slaughtered. To this day, hengeyokai fear and distrust eladrin. The actual origin of the hengeyokai is a matter of dispute. They believe they are fey versions of primal animal spirits; however, most eladrin scholars dismiss them as awakened beasts infused with the magic of their home plane. Some eladrin, perhaps wishing to justify their race’s pogrom, believe that the fomorians created the hengeyokai to act as their agents, and they point to the race’s chaotic, unpredictable nature as a sign of this influence. The race’s innate skill at assassination, infiltration, and espionage is also taken as a sign of fomorian interest. Today, small bands of hengeyokai live in remote wilderness regions, occasionally interacting with nearby human, halfling, or elven settlements. In the Nentir Vale, they are relatively plentiful - though rarely seen - within the Harkenwold and Winterbole forests, the Witchlight Fens, and even the depths of Lake Nen. The Eldeen Reaches is home to the majority of the world’s hengeyokai. Category:Race Category:Fey